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College students hurt as deck falls

May 11, 2003|By Items compiled from Tribune news services.

HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA — A second-floor deck collapsed at a house where Marshall University students were celebrating the end of the school year Friday night, injuring more than a dozen people, authorities said.

As many as 15 people were standing on the 10-by-15-foot deck that fell at 10:15 p.m., said Amanda Baisden, who lives at the home.

"I was in the parking lot talking to a friend and I heard a big crack. I looked up and saw my best friend's arm flailing, and everything fell," Baisden said.

Thirteen people were taken to two area hospitals, nursing supervisors said. None of the injuries appeared to be serious, they said.

Others reportedly were treated at the scene. As many as six emergency squads responded to the accident.